Ahh Monday. Normally I'd be complaining about how much I loath thee, yet I find myself strangely motivated and energized this morning. It could be the Vinte Coffee Frapachino with two extra shots that I've already downed but I think its just my normal charisma shining thru. (Yea right! Go Starbucks!) I plan on cleaning, organizing and prep'ing a lot today.
My kids are finally feeling healthy enough to be back to their normal energy level. Someone remind me next time they are sick to cherish the quiet time please! They both still have a terrible cough but other than that they are on the mend. Attitudes are another story! Because they had such a hard time breathing due to the cough and sore throats I tried very hard to keep them happy so they didn't cry because if they did it ended in gagging and or vomit only exacerbating their circumstances. A.K.A I gave them what ever they wanted when ever they want just to keep them happy. Well, as great as that worked while they were sick, its biting me in the butt now! Hailey understands a bit more but Kenna is just a whiney mess right now.
I was so frustrated with her attitude on Saturday night that I had to step back, let Dad intervene and go take a bath to clear my head. I decided that maybe part of her frustrations are due to not being included in life but rather taken along for the ride weather or not she wants to. Part of that comes with being a kid I know, but I was much better at including Anthony and Hailey than I am with Makenna. Things like having a choice of drinks, lunches and snacks and getting to help with "big girl" things like picking out her clothes, choosing her hair ties and helping in the kitchen. Some of those things may sound trivial but I did all of those with the other two but I realized that Hailey still runs the roost when it comes to a lot of those things and Makenna is just taken along for the ride. So, I talked to Brad about it and we agreed that we need to include Makenna more in the decisions of her life. That sounds more dramatic than it really is but hopefully it still makes sense. Time out's aren't working to change the behaviors so I'm trying another approach.
Sunday was a bit better but I'll admit, dinner time is hard. I just want to do it myself, get it done and be over with, so stopping to include her is a bit of a hassle. She was a gem at lunch helping me make the Mac&Cheese and actually sat down then entire meal time peacefully and ate her food with out whining or crying. It's going to take patience and discipline on my part to do this, I really hope it works. Wish me luck!
On a completely different tangent, last week was a complete "Swing and a Miss" as far as food is concerned. I made 4 different meals that no one but me would eat, with the exception of the soup, even I wouldn’t eat that!
Italian Sausage and peppers in a ricotta cream sauce
BBQ pop-overs
Mango chicken lettuce wraps
Potato, bacon, cheddar soup
Last nights soup was so bad that Brad went out to get us take-out instead and for those of you that know Brad, that’s a big thing! He never likes to waste food! Even though I followed the recipe, it just tasted like watered down grease! Bleh!
A few were new recipes and the mango chicken wraps, from
Stephanie O'Dea's Crockpot365 were a hit last time but not this one for some reason. I think they're major Yum, but then again, I love her website for crock pot wonders.
One recipe, from the Pillsbury website is worth experimenting with. I thought
these BBQ pop-overs were great! Brad said they were ok, just not "dinner" material. I did use shredded beef instead of the ground beef because I thought it would taste better. The kids would have liked them I think if the shredded beef was in shorter strands, if that makes sense. When they would try to bite into it they would always get too much or end up with strings hanging out of their mouth.
So, needless to say, this week I’m sticking with good 'ol tried-and-true stand-by's.
Meatloaf
Spaghetti and meatballs
Tacos
Cranberry pork
Hamburgers and Hotdogs
I am doing another big baking day tomorrow. The theme is "convince." I have been stock piling a lot of snack and breakfast items with the recent grocery sales so not all of this is homemade, obviously, but it's still part of my plan to get it all separated into snack size baggies ready to grab and go. Here's the plan:
Breakfasts:
Silver Dollar whole wheat pancakes x 48
Egg and veggie biscuits x 24
Breakfast burritos x 24
Cereal bags (divided into small travel size bags for breakfasts on the go) x 24
Whole wheat muffins (with some sort of fruit, depending on the sales) x 48
Lunch:
PB&J Freezer sandwiches x 24
Ham and Cheese pockets x 24
Sloppy Joe muffins x 24
Snacks:
Frozen Fruit Salad
Trail Mix
Mini black bean and carrot burritos
Dinners:
Cranberry Pork Roast
Chicken and dumplings x 2
Lasagna Casserole x 2
Enchilada Casserole (red and green) x 2 each
Homemade Mac&Cheese x 4
Spaghetti and Meatballs x 2
Taco Meat x 4
Chicken Drumsticks x 2
Mini Meatloafs x l2
BBQ pulled pork and whole wheat rolls
My cousin, Missy, is due here around noon so we'll be working fast to get it all done. I'll be sure to post pictures and recipes. Keep your fingers crossed that my plan with including Makenna doesn't backfire on me tomorrow.
